


How to Drive a Dude to (Social) Suicide

by Vexicle



Series: Ice Cream Sundae [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Fluff, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-01 14:04:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13296444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vexicle/pseuds/Vexicle





	1. The Last Straw

Aquilo stares at the straw he has drawn with a sinking feeling.

“Hey, hey! Quilly!” God. It's happening. It's really happening.

“Quilly, why the long face?” a chirpy voice says, and he unsubtly flinches when Cherry flings one arm around his shoulders. A chorus of ‘Ooo’s ripple throughout the train carriage. This causes Aquilo to fidget even more, blush deepening, while Cherry just grins wider. She holds up the straw she herself has drawn, which is approximately the same length as Aquilo’s.

Aquilo’s football team is going on a field trip to Brazil, and unfortunately for him that means an overnight stay in a train carriage between towns with his annoying childhood friend of all people. Just his luck. Currently the rest of their teammates are all aimlessly milling about after just having boarded the train at 7p.m. He groans.

“It's destiny, isn't it?” Cherry laughs, and at this Aquilo finally pushes her away from him, blue eyes wide open and face ablaze. His teammates surrounding him laugh, and the brunet next to him punches his shoulder playfully. Aquilo recoils immediately, burying his face in his hands. There is the sound of the automated door sliding open as their coach Mrs Green sticks her head into the doorway. She frowns, and everyone shuts up until she gives them a satisfied nod and leaves.

Aquilo would like to just go to bed but currently Cherry has very rudely and unwelcomely (at least in Aquilo’s opinion) barged her way into where the football team is resting. He wants to hiss at her to return to where the cheerleaders are in the next carriage talking things over, but his teammates are taking well to her. She's finally taken pity on Aquilo and is now discussing their band’s latest release with Leonard and April from his team. 

Oddly enough, now that she's left him be, he really wants her eyes back on him and him only. He peeks out from between his eyes to glare at where Cherry still has her back turned to him, and now she's poking the redhead’s chest and laughing. At this, Leonard seems to notice Aquilo’s disgruntled state, and then he's pushing Cherry lightly towards his captain. “Go to him, say sorry,” he laughs, and Aquilo barely has time to be thankful that Leonard didn't catch onto his irrational jealousy before Cherry is back in his arms. _Pull yourself together, Aquilo_ , he thinks furiously as he avoids Cherry’s dark brown eyes and just gapes at Leonard instead. Traitor. The quarterback simply smirks back at his leader.

Thankfully this time round nobody else comments, as the tired teens finally divide into their pairs. Cherry takes this as an excuse to yank Aquilo’s jersey and run at breakneck speed along the carriage, yelling “I call the last room!” He waves sheepishly at all of his surprised batchmates as Cherry pulls him along with a very strong grip.

They stop at the middle carriage where their baggage is at. Aquilo lifts his down from where it is stowed away at the top of the storages. Amusedly, he thinks that his nice and normal black luggage bag is a hundred times better than Cherry’s obnoxiously bright pink bag that also somewhat resembles a Persian cat. Okay, fine, maybe he finds it totally adorable but it's also absolutely ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is the speed at which Cherry manages to drag both him _and_ the luggage while running.

Cherry finally secures the furthest room. When they step foot into it, she instantly slams her hand on the button and flops on the bed when the metal door shuts. “A new record for the hundred meter dash,” she says proudly.

“Go awaaay,” Aquilo moans fruitlessly, face first into the pillow. Why the hell is there only one bed here? This is bad. Aquilo has to instantly restrain himself from recalling exact situations in his romance novels... why is he even thinking of that? Why?! The blond clutches the white blanket in his grasp. “Can't we switch?” Aquilo begs, trying desperately to distract his traitorous mind.

“All the rooms have only one bed, Quilly,” Cherry calmly responds. It's just to spite him, of course. She begins to stroke his back as though he were a frighten equine. “It's really comfy, though.” Aquilo can practically imagine her taunting smile as she begins to knead his shoulders. “It's really big, too,” Cherry continues, and this time there is a hint of _something_ in her voice that makes Aquilo perk his head up.

Cherry rolls on top of him and stretches out. “Perfect for sleepovers!”

Aquilo splutters indignantly, pushing at her shoulders and trying to ignore his own blushing. “You haven't even bathed yet! You're disgusting!” And he is trying his best to not think about how good her weight felt on him, he really is, but his body chooses to betray him once again. He finds himself cowering underneath the smooth sheets to hide his shame. He wills his red face to return to normal, but alas, it refuses to listen to him.

The blond hears a tinkling laugh and the sound of something being unlocked. “Sure, I'll go first. Mind you, you don't smell any better!” Aquilo refuses to respond to that, and after Cherry is done rustling about she seems to finally find what she is looking for and leaves, wandering over to the small cubicle in the corner.

Only when he hears the telltale tinkling of water does Aquilo unearth himself from the blanket, slowly, cautiously. Instantly he bolts, slamming his palm against the button to open the door and makes a run for it outside. He knocks on the door nearest to him, and sure enough, Ferris is exactly where he said he would be.

He yawns and stretches. “Aquilo, hey,” he says in a tired drawl. “What's wrong?”

Curious, Ferris’s roommate - Jackson - peeks out, promptly decides that he wants nothing to do with whatever has gotten his captain into a frenzy, and slams the shower door shut. Aquilo winces at the bang. “Sorry, I forgot it was late. I'll go back now.”

Ferris stops scratching the back of his head. “No, really, it's fine. I'm a night owl,” he claims even as he lets out another yawn. “What's happening with you?”

Aquilo suddenly grips the small boy’s shoulders tightly, making Ferris yelp. “Cherry is trying to _kill_ me,” Aquilo pleads. “Help! I can't take this any longer!”

Ferris blinks. “I can't help you with girlfriend trouble, man.”

“She is not my girlfriend!” Aquilo hisses. His blush flares back up again. Goddamn it.

The black-haired teen rolls his eyes. “Yeah, fine, whatever you guys call it these days. Okay, look.” Ferris pries Aquilo’s hands off his shoulder gently. “If you really can't take it anymore, tell her to back off. I think she understands. She's not that mean, from what I've seen of her.”

Aquilo buries his head in his hands and paces around the corridor. “N-no! It's just, I, um -” Damn, this blush just keeps intensifying. “I’m sleeping on the same bed as her and I'mfreakingout!” Aquilo half screams.

Ferris looks dumbstruck. “I, uh -”

“God, what if something happens?”

“A-Aquilo -”

“W-we’re gonna be. On the bed. Together!” Aquilo screeches, except he's lost his last nerve and it comes out as more of a pathetic whimper.

Ferris is still in shock, shaking his head slowly to clear it. “I, uh, what the hell do you have in your mind right now?”

“I'm going to overheat and explode!” Aquilo suddenly freezes. “CrapIhavetogobeforeshecatchesmebye!”

Ferris is still utterly speechess as he watches the blond escape back into his own room. Aquilo gives one last glance back to him, still blushing, and shuts the door. He clutches his knees to his chest and sinks to the floor, rocking back and forth. Aquilo wants to explode and _die_.

From behind, he can still hear Ferris’s annoyed “What the fuck, Aquilo?” and he chuckles sheepishly before horror dawns on him. Crap, the walls don't have soundproofing. And that plus so many horny teens on board meant...

Aquilo closes his eyes and lets out one big breath of air. He doesn't open them until he hears Cherry step out and hum a question to him, to which he says flatly, “We aren't going to sleep tonight.”

“Why? What happened?” Aquilo dimly notes that for once, Cherry honestly sounds worried.

“...did you know the walls are really thin?”

Cherry hums again, this time in thought. “No, but I guess I do now. Go shower, Quilly,” she orders as she dumps her old clothes into her luggage. Aquilo finally looks up, but then his mouth runs dry as he realises Cherry has neglected to wear a bra. He lets himself indulge in running his gaze over her beautiful shape, oh so tempting-

“I! Um, um! Yes!” Aquilo squeaks, banging his head against the door but hardly pausing to give it any thought, gathering his clothes haphazardly. “That is a brilliant idea,” he babbles as he starts collecting a random assortment of materials in his arms. “Absolutely marvellous. Fantastic. Amazing.”

Cherry is still fiddling with her phone but she turns it off to regard Aquilo curiously. He flushes even harder at her gaze, keeping his own eyes stubbornly on the wooden floorboard, which is by the way incredibly pretty and detailed. Consider him impressed.

“Anyway bye!” He squawks as he shuts the cubicle door. He immediately strips, setting the shower to the coldest setting available. He turns the knob so the ice cold water hits him hard and gets all over the floor. Aquilo splutters, somehow not expecting this to happen, but whatever, it's worth it. He quickly finishes up, spends five minutes after changing silently contemplating his life choices, before finally picking up his clothes and getting back outside. 

Good lord, this field trip hadn't been anywhere near as enjoyable as the previous sports teams before them had made it out to be.

He refuses to look at Cherry as he preoccupies himself with folding his clothes neatly, unfolding and refolding them until he's pretty sure Cherry’s asleep and he can stuff those in his luggage and then go into bed and then try not to make contact with her and get through this night hopefully alive.

After approximately thirty minutes of this demonic ritual, Aquilo heaves a sigh, checks to make sure he has a proper shirt on (for whatever reason), and then slowly, slowly inches into bed with Cherry. Making sure they are as far apart as humanly possible but close enough so he doesn't risk falling off the bed, Aquilo closes his eyes.

“Aquilo?” Cherry whispers, and he all but groans. Of fucking course.

“Why are you not asleep?!” Aquilo hisses through gritted teeth.

“...because it's only 7.45.” Cherry is cut off by a muffled moan to her right. “Also, Lynette and Xu Xing are like, totally getting it on right now.”

“This is just great,” Aquilo grumbles as he rolls over. “Good night anyway.” He scowls as he buries his head under the pillow as he hears a delighted scream.

“Don't sleep with wet hair, Quilly. Let’s talk. I'll keep you company.”

He rolls back to face Cherry. “ _No_ ,” he growls, and smothers his face with the pillow again. Is he really still blushing? At least she's covering herself now.

Cherry coughs. “I, um, am sorry if I creeped you out just now? I put on, uh, a... bra... after you left. Sorry, it kinda slipped my mind.” Chuckling awkwardly, she fiddles with a few strands of her dark hair.

It’s the first time Aquilo has heard her sound so... awkward. He's not sure what to do, so he just rumbles a reply, waves his hand around, and then falls silent. The awkwardness is broken by more grunts and cries from next door, and Aquilo heaves a long sigh.

“Man, they're loud,” Cherry says. “Hey, Quilly, do you think we can be even louder?” She wrenches the pillow out of his grasp, and Aquilo notices the cheeky grin back on her pale face.

“What are you implying?” Aquilo asks wearily. Warily. Whatever. Words are getting all muddled in his head right now and his eyes trace the motion of Cherry’s tongue as she licks her lips. 

Cherry doesn't reply, but the blond yelps as she flops on him and hugs him to her squishy chest. He's _sure_ the girl can hear the heartbeat hammering in his own chest, and he's pretty much resigned himself to blushing his face off at this rate. His hand itches to reach for his phone and call his parents to take him home this instant. He wants to tell her to _get off_ but his mind betrays him once again as he wraps his arms around her to return her embrace. “Go away,” he grumbles halfheartedly, staring at where they touch. Damn his traitorous body.

Cherry rolls her eyes affectionately and then Aquilo gets the second shock of his life today when she _nuzzles_ him. He feels so damn _hot_ , he's sure he's going to get a heart attack any second now and goddamn it the curly-haired girl _knows_ what she's doing to him. Is there a such thing as humming tauntingly? Because she's definitely doing that, leaning back and putting on a face that's way too innocent but still batting her eyelashes at him. Crap shit fuck if she keeps this up he really does want to scream.

“That sound you just did was good, Quilly. Keep this up and we won't be sleeping tonight either,” Cherry giggles, and then something snaps inside of him. Fuck her, he’s not sure if Cherry is just being Cherry but hell if he’ll just sit here and take it.

“Yeah?” he growls dangerously, and Cherry barely has time to react in shock before he's slamming his lips against hers forcefully.

Aquilo quickly realises that this is a bad, _bad_ idea and quickly attempts to pulls away, but Cherry recovers way too fast for his liking to pull him in closer, flicking her tongue at his lips teasingly to ask for entrance, and he for some reason obliges and oh _no_ he should really stop this isn't good it's moving way too fast-

And then the blond moans into Cherry’s mouth as her tongue delves into his inviting heat, muddling his thoughts and making him clutch harder at her strong back. Cherry’s lithe fingers find their way into his hair, gently weaving between the soft locks, her other hand squeezing his hip delicately, and Aquilo’s head spins as he pants sloppily, closing his eyes. She draws his tongue into her mouth, _sucking_ on it, and then all semblance of thought is forgotten as he lets out a pleased moan.

Finally they separate, gasping and chests heaving for air, and Cherry fixes him with a look of surprise. “I wasn't expecting that from you,” she murmurs as she pulls their chests together once again, and thankfully the padding between them prevents Aquilo from losing his mind. “Aren't you like, the goodest goodiest two shoes around?” she huffs, continuing to stroke his hair. “Since when did you become so eager?”

“I don't claim to be above our schoolmates in that department,” Aquilo hisses as he glowers at her.

Cherry pokes his cheek. “I can't believe you’re still so _grumpy_ , lighten up, jeez.”

“...stop teasing me, Cherry,” Aquilo says, his voice quiet with not-so-subtle touches of bitterness in his words. He crosses his arms and turns away, refusing to look at her. Cherry stubbornly refuses to take the hint, getting closer and doing her best to stroke his hair reassuringly. 

“Aquilo?” Cherry questions.

Aquilo clenches his fists and he's shaking where he sits. “Stop that! Stop doing whatever you're doing!” What the actual fuck, why is he crying _about_ her in front of her. It's as if the universe himself is conspiring against him.

Cherry says nothing and holds him as he continue to shake and whimper and cry in her arms, but he doesn't protest this time. “Stop it,” he whispers again sulkily, even though he's pretty sure she's gotten the message by now and he's acting like a goddamn child. Shut up, he's allowed to be a little cranky if his crush is being so awful. 

And he really can't accept that he has a crush on Cherry of all people. Cherry, who goes around and fucks with people’s minds with her sense of mischief. He really should have known better, but he can't help being drawn to her despite that fact, and it hurts for that exact same fucking reason.

Cherry continues to soothe him with her actions until his sobs finally quieten to absolutely fucking pathetic sniffles, and then she's quietly asking, “What did I do?”

Aquilo wipes his tears away furiously with the back of his hand. “Okay, I honestly get that you're super annoying and that's your thing, but I would like to kindly and politely ask you to _stop_ fucking giving me so many mixed messages!” He glares at the curly-haired girl, though the impact is surely lessened by his puffy red eyes. 

“Do you like me, or don't you?” Aquilo whispers, suddenly deflating. “I don't know. I really don't know. It's so hard to tell when you’re always like this.” He brings his knees up so he can bury his head in them, and dear god why is his heart still thumping wildly?

Silence, and then, “Aquilo, so you're saying...?”

“I think you like me, and then you go off to _flirt_ ,” Aquilo growls, “with some other random guy. And then you're back, and you're all like ‘oh hi, BFF!’ and I'm like, ‘oh okay, so I guess she doesn't’! But then you go and...you go and do…” he gestures widely. “...this. So now, I don't know! I'm just confused!” He clutches the fabric of his pants tightly. “If you really don't like me that way, I promise I'll be fine. Just... just stop. I'm so tired of dealing with this,” Aquilo says, even as heat pools in his cheeks at the memory of the kiss and he stubbornly refuses to look at her.

More silence, and then Aquilo flinches as he feels arms around his neck and her soft chest pressing against his body, oh crap not _again_. He struggles a little, but Cherry holds him firmly in her grasp and he gives up as a sob rises in his throat. “I'm sorry,” she whispers somberly. “From now on, I'll give you all my attention. How's that sound?” Cherry asks as she brushes his brownish hair back and kisses his temple.

Hope flares in his chest as Aquilo absorbs her words, but he still refuses to look at Cherry out of shame for crying so easily. “You do like me,” he murmurs, more as a memo to himself than anything, and then he's really glad that Cherry is still behind him. No way is he going to let her see his big dumb grin.

“Yeah,” Cherry says, and he detects the hint of worry in her voice. “I'm sorry, I just, I... I really didn't think you’d take it that way. I didn't realise how it might look to you. I was only just... screwing around, that's all. I'm really, really sorry.” She nuzzles Aquilo with her cheek again, sending him into an utter frenzy. “I only have eyes for you, I swear.”

“I'll forgive you if you go out with me,” he says bluntly. 

She hums as she leans her head on Aquilo’s broad shoulder. “I think that can be arranged,” she says thoughtfully.

“And our first date had better not be at some crappy fast food restaurant,” he demands, and he knows he's being just a teeny bit petulant right now but who cares, Cherry owes him a huge pile of stuff. He feels giddy and overwhelmed, laughter spilling out of his throat. Then Aquilo’s world abruptly comes to a crashing halt as he realises he hears numerous whoops and cheers at his door.

“For goodness’s sake, _finally_!”

“Go get 'em, captain!”

“Lynette, you owe me $20! Now!

“Good job, guys! Now fuck!” Followed by taunting whistles and more gleeful cheers.

Aquilo buries himself underneath the covers, resisting his urge to storm outside and smack his stupid (and apparently voyeuristic) teammates into next week. “ _Nooo_ ,” he groans. “My life is over.”

Cherry for her part doesn't seem to mind. “Your friends seem absolutely lovely,” she says as she tries to soothe the blanketed heap. 

“No, they're all idiots who don't know the meaning of privacy. No wonder they like you so much.” Damn, he really should have known something was up when that dreadful moaning stopped. Blushing harder, he tries to shut them all out by pressing the fabric even closer to his ears.

Cherry just laughs. “Sure thing, Quilly.” It's the sweetest thing he's ever heard.

“Anyway, I'm going to sleep for real. Good night, Cherry.” _It's been exhausting today,_ Aquilo thinks as he rolls over on top of the pillow. He uncovers his face from the blanket, but very shamelessly snuggles right into it, looking very satisfied.

“Good night, boyfriend,” Cherry teases, tucking him in delicately and kissing his forehead, and this time Aquilo doesn't bother to hide his smile.


	2. Can we PLEASE not?

Of course the goddamn storm hits the very next morning.

They’ve departed from the train and Aquilo is having a very nice time pointedly ignoring the stares of his team at McDonald’s, apparently because some have no idea how to respect his privacy. Aquilo, for his part, is woefully inexperienced in what to do next. His romance novels... research, haven’t exactly covered the morning after in this kind of scenario.

Aquilo bites into the fish patty and tries his best to be unbothered by their blatant gossiping about him.

With him still at the table.

_Rude._

“So like, did anything happen?” Lynette asks, smirking, and Aquilo nearly chokes on his burger.

“Did you _hear_ anything?” Aquilo hisses, his gaze icy.

The brunette makes a big show of tapping her chin and humming in thought. “Only that juicy love confession,” she says cheerily. Aquilo wants to murder her slowly and painfully.

“Well then, wouldn't it be logical to conclude that _nothing_ fucking happened?” Aquilo glares at her. Stupid team and their stupid faces. He just wants to eat and then go on the damn road trip. At the least Cherry is sitting at her own table, so his blush is manageable. Aquilo stubbornly refuses to look over no matter how curious he is, for fear of giving his teammates even more fodder for teasing, but from the high-pitched, excited chatters he's pretty sure she's being questioned similarly to how he is. He keeps his gaze on Lynette, even as his blood boils and he wants to punch her in the face for that goddamn smugness.

One of his other teammates - April, also blonde - shrugs. “I don't know man, maybe you have sex like a ninja.”

“Were the porn videos we forced you to watch effective?” Ferris asks with an all too innocent smile.

Lynette gasps dramatically and slams her hand down on the table, making everyone redirect her attention to her. “Hold on, _Aquilo_ watches porn?” 

Aquilo groans and hides his face under his jacket. He won't even be surprised if that damn headline makes the tabloids. He can picture it now. ‘Smooth Flying member secretly a pervert?’

Ferris takes pity on the poor blond for once. “Nah, bro, we kind of forced him against his will. The tainting is for… someone else to do…” 

Aquilo doesn't even need to look to know that Ferris is winking at Cherry conspirationally. She answers with her usual tinkling laugh.

“It's kind of a missed opportunity, yeah? Sex on a train is like, a must-have,” Jackson drawls. “Think about how hard it’ll be to get back on one of these things.”

“What makes you say that?” Aquilo sighs. He wants to cry, call Iggy, go home, and then never go to school ever again. He's such a public embarrassment right now.

“Why don't you ask Lynette and whoever the hell that girl is?”

“Excuse you? She's my lovely girlfriend, that's who! And don't you forget it!”

“Sorry, who are we talking about again?” Aquilo can _hear_ the smirk in Jackson’s voice.

Aquilo peeks out from beneath his jacket, thankful that they finally seemed to have forgotten about him in favour of questioning Lynette. He sneaks a peek in the cheerleaders’ direction, and sure enough, they’ve turned back and are simply chatting among one another. _Maybe I can actually have breakfast,_ Aquilo thinks, and he smiles as he reaches out for his abandoned half-eaten burger. He successfully grabs it and chews on it under the safety of his jacket - which is getting dirty, but Aquilo doesn't care. Ordinarily he'd protest such a thing, but some sacrifices have to be made.

Now, for getting through the rest of the day unscathed.

.

They’ve finally gotten out of the fast food restaurant and now they're weaving between some park, and fortunately Aquilo’s teammates seem to finally let him go in favour of taking pictures of the scenery of Rio de Janeiro. He himself isn't that interested in anything, but he can admit there's something magical about the towering buildings and the jackets and scarves unlike anything back home. Mrs Green keeps a watchful eye over them, which is great, because the cheerleaders’ coach seems more interested in helping them take selfies.

Aquilo should have known he wasn't going to get away that easily, however. Now that they have free reign even the _cheerleaders_ are stepping forward to congratulate him. The girls chirp amongst themselves and tell him how lucky he must feel, while the guys laugh and clap and jokingly threaten to disembowel him should he ever hurt Cherry. Though Aquilo knows never to underestimate them.

For the most part they are more civil than his asshole football friends, so he tries his best not to ask ‘Who are you?’, steeling his poor mind to be as nice and understanding as possible. In this regard, his own experiences as a school singer are his saviour.

 _They've done nothing wrong_ , Aquilo reminds himself. _They just so happened to have caught me on a day where I feel like fucking dying. Just keep walking, keep walking._

Goddamn it, he hates Brazil and their sports now. This will forever leave a sour taste in his mouth. Poor Brazil. He'll probably leave a 5 star review just for the heck of it. 

Aquilo stalks forward and finally he's in front of everyone, including his team who is still giggling and being annoying. Mrs Green gives him a knowing look and doesn't say anything, and Aquilo is grateful for that. She smiles at him, and Aquilo hesitantly returns the gesture. He continues hoping in vain that no one will bother him for the rest of this trip. Maybe then he'll actually survive. Aquilo sighs, hoisting his heavy bag further up on his shoulders.

No such luck. Seconds later Aquilo feels a certain someone catch up to him and place her hand on his shoulder - and Aquilo realises he can actually recognise her footsteps. What the hell, is he that much of a creep?

“Quilly, I think they've finally spared you,” Cherry says teasingly. She's all smiles as usual, and Aquilo really wishes he had her ability to not give a crap about them. The black-haired girl falls into step beside his agitated ones. Her hands twitch and Aquilo is aware she's staring at his hands, but wisely chooses not to touch them for the moment.

They fall silent and Aquilo is trying to desperately signal with his eyes at Mrs Green for help when Cherry asks, “What kind of porn were they referring to?” His coach looks over and shakes her head. Her brown eyes are alight with amusement. Aquilo groans. _Not her too._

“...the filthy kind.”

Aquilo gets a poke for his trouble. “Um, duh,” Cherry says amusedly. “Yeah, but what kind of filthy?”

Aquilo lets out a long breath as he fiddles with his bag straps. “I don't know, I freaked out after ten seconds.”

“Figures. Must have been juicy,” Cherry replies as she gives him a suggestive look. 

Aquilo sighs. It's barely afternoon and he's already feeling drained. “How long is it to the museum?” he asks their coach aloud.

She nods in front of them, looking toward a towering building. “Just right over there.” Aquilo can barely see it over the buildings, but it appears to be in the shape of a circular disc.

“This is great, can we finally put down these dumb heavy bags?” Cherry whines.

“Weren't you paying attention at the briefing?” Mrs Green asks, chuckling. “I believe I told all students to pack lightly. You,” she gestures towards Cherry’s bulging travel pack, “did not obey instructions. Unfortunately you are going to have to carry it everywhere now.” 

For his part, Aquilo is half afraid said bag is going to spill. It looks stretched to its absolute limit and is more than half Cherry’s height.

Mrs Green stops walking forward and gestures at Aquilo and Cherry to stop, to call all the students together in one small squad. Aquilo glances warily at Cherry’s luggage. “What do you even have in there?”

Cherry very gratefully slings the bag off her shoulder, rolling them and stretching her arm. “I brought snacks,” she announces proudly. “Want some?”

“By snacks, you mean those godawful dipped chocolate sticks, don't you?” Aquilo scoffs.

“Yeah!” Cherry grins shamelessly. “Also, I brought books. Want some?”

“Why the fuck do you need those?”

“In case I was bored. There ain't no internet out here, remember?”

“But… but, but…” Aquilo stutters as he stares wide-eyed at her, gesticulating wildly. “Okay, but what the fuck? Why?”

“Why not?”

“Your back is fucking dying that's why not!”

“Can we call it a first lovers’ spat if it was their shtick before?” comes Ferris’s voice, and Aquilo sighs, resisting the urge to storm off and get lost. Good lord, he just can't catch a break. Laughter breaks out behind him at Aquilo’s disgruntled expression. Cherry just shrugs.

“Boys and girls, before we go into the museum, I'm going to have to ask you to stop teasing your captain. Our school doesn't have enough in their treasury to cover the damage should he go on a rampage.” The blond’s blush deepens at her words as the cackles get louder. He pointedly looks at the ground and avoids everyone’s gaze.

Aquilo's never considered it before, but right about now he really wants to include the coaches on his list of _People To Kill Until They Are Dead._

Eventually the teasing dies down and everyone proceeds in peace and harmony, though every time Aquilo looks at his friends he finds their same scrunched-up amused expression - and he catches himself laughing as well, only to cover his mouth and look away hurriedly. Shut up. Fuck them.

Cherry scrambles along with her bulging backpack hoisted high on her shoulders. “My back’s actually fine, Quilly,” Cherry whispers to him. “Thank you, though.” 

Aquilo is slightly happy she can't see his smile. He just grunts in return and hopes that the warmth in his chest doesn't show outwardly.

Their little group continues on in relative silence. As soon as they enter the large building, there is grand rejoicing over the warmth inside.

Luckily for Cherry, as per museum regulations their bags need to be stowed away in lockers. Against all odds she manages to stuff her oversized duffel bag in one and she races to rejoin Aquilo at the entrance, where their coaches are telling everyone to meet outside the exhibitions at 12 noon sharp.

“Okay, after this we get to go to a legit restaurant, right?” she asks. 

“Yeah,” Aquilo mumbles absentmindedly.

“Brazil really likes football,” Cherry comments. Mrs Green hands in all thirty of their tickets, and Aquilo steps inside. 

“I mean, the whole point of the trip was coming here, for their culture. I think.” Aquilo smiles. “Like, look at all those trophies over there,” he whispers. He steps forward and Cherry follows him, looking bored, but hey, fuck her.

“Woohoo! This is fucking awesome!” Lynette screams at the top of her lungs. Aquilo groans. Of course those dumbasses break the first rule of museums everywhere the very _instant_ they head inside.

“Hey,” Aquilo whispers, pulling Cherry into a dark corner of… somewhere. “So I don't want to associate with those idiots and I think you don't either.”

“Oh my god, if we're caught, it'll be bad publicity for us.” Cherry’s eyes are wide.

“Exactly. So we’re staying here,” Aquilo insists. His back is against some random glass thing and it's rather uncomfortable. Cherry’s grip on his arms tighten and they both fall silent. The fact that their friends' voices can be heard so clearly down the hallway probably shouldn't be celebrated.

“Check this out! Real balls used by real sportspeople!” Aquilo doesn't recognise this voice. It must be one of the cheerleaders. 

“Over here! Look at all these coolass trophies!”

“Students, please simmer down -”

“Oh my fucking god, these uniforms are fucking awesome!”

“These club logos are awesome!”

“Oh my god, look it's Olympics stuff!”

“Students, please -”

“What the fuck, look at those muscles! Fucking goals, guys!”

“Ah, about that, please no flash photography!”

“BEHAVE YOURSELVES THIS INSTANT!” Mrs Green bellows, and Aquilo feels Cherry jump beside him. 

“Let’s… let’s go,” he whispers helplessly, tugging on her long sleeve. Cherry nods. The eerie silence is a bit too much for both of them. Aquilo and Cherry check their surroundings before peeking out. They brush their clothes off and just resume looking at the exhibits as normal. Aquilo can't help but agree - he finds these kind of boring.

“Do these thingies have meaning to you?” Cherry asks. Aquilo pricks his ears up for any sign of her usual mischief, but she sounds genuine for once. Standing in the darkness, he's pleased that Cherry can't see his shy expression. He coughs awkwardly, all too aware of how they're once again alone and in the dark together.

“I’ll be honest. I don't want to be a football player,” Aquilo admits, “but it is kind of cool seeing these anyway. I suppose.”

“Then… what do you want to be?” Cherry asks, her voice quiet.

Aquilo frowns. “I… don't know. Something something medicine or science, maybe. Sports just isn't sustainable.”

“...so you do agree that this is boring as shit and let’s go get some cake at the café together?”

Aquilo actually laughs. He can't believe it. She must be infecting him. “That sounds splendid. I'll be right with you.”

"Great decision," Cherry says simply, and they smile at each other, hooking their fingers together and strolling in the direction of the café.


	3. With a Cherry on Top

Cherry grins, holding out one spoonful of vanilla ice cream from across the table. “Open wide~”

Aquilo thinks if it's Cherry, he can get used to this kind of attention. His face feels like it's on fire, and he just glares at her outstretched spoon. That said, theres a time and place for everything. “We’re in public!” Aquilo hisses in protest.

The café isn't as fancy as Aquilo thought it would be. The overall theme of the café seems to be monochrome, with the walls swathed with shades of black and white and everything in between. He's sitting with Cherry on wooden chairs carved out of wood and painted black. The rounded table has a marble pattern on it with the number ‘26’ plastered crudely onto it. Still, it could be worse, and Aquilo’s main concern is the dozens of other customers milling about, as well as the waiters that are tripping over themselves.

Apparently she doesn't care about any of that, since Cherry’s smile just grows wider. “Come on, you know you want it!”

This would almost be endearing if maybe their café was a little more secluded, and warm and cozy. And if Cherry wasn’t a total genre blind idiot.

“I didn't realise you were deaf. Let me say it again: In. Public!” Aquilo protests once more, his face reddening by the second.

“Yeah. So?”

“Alright, since we’re dating now, I get to set some boundaries, you hear?” Aquilo scowls at her. “Treating me like a baby is a complete no!”

Cherry pouts. “Aw, come on.”

“ _Cheryl_ ,” Aquilo hisses, “I’m serious! You can't just go and… and… in front of everyone!”

“Okay then, if you're sure.” Cherry smiles at him, popping the spoonful of (half-melted) frozen treat back in her mouth. Her soft-looking pink tongue flicks against the ice cream spoon, and Aquilo can feel himself heat up once again. Why does she do this to him? Aquilo’s starting to regret not accepting her offer, so he picks up his own spoon and sticks it in the whopping double-scoop of vanilla ice cream.

“Could be better,” he says grudgingly, even as he licks the remaining cream off his spoon.

“I didn't know stealing was so much better than me feeding you, Quilly.” Cherry’s voice is light with amusement. 

“What - _stealing_? You ordered that ice cream for us _both_!” Aquilo glares at her. Maybe if he frowns hard enough she'll evaporate into thin air. Stupid Cherry and her stupid smug smile. (It does not make him feel fucking _fluttery_ inside.)

“And I'm glad you're enjoying it!” Cherry beams up at him, and for a moment he has to look away. There's no denying that his heart is racing way too fast to be healthy. Her smile is so brilliant it almost blinds him. He figures this happy, smiley human being here could possible give the sun a run for its money. Also unlike said sun, she's pretty easy on the eyes as well.

Not that he's _ever_ going to tell her that.

“Museum snacks are pricy and terrible tasting,” Aquilo complains. He scoops up more of the ice cream and stuffs the spoon into his mouth, feeling the icy coolness of the sweet treat. “Sorry you had to spend money on this.”

“Whatever you say,” Cherry teases him. She fixes him with this gaze of absolute adoration, and against his will Aquilo finds himself blushing and smiling, just a teeny bit, in response. _Cherry really likes me,_ he thinks to himself, feeling a wave of affection crash through him. He would voice it out, but his gaze darts around the crowded café, and he decides not to for now. “Thanks for treating me,” he mumbles awkwardly. Why does he have to be like this? Why is he so _embarrassed_? They're dating now for goodness sake!

He's… he's actually nervous, he feels like he wants to impress her. Which is stupid. If anyone has the dirt on him from childhood, it's Cherry. Aquilo scolds himself privately: _What the hell, this is your fucking childhood friend! She won't eat you!_

Aquilo forces himself to _breathe_ , to sort out all of the conflicting emotions he's feeling - freaking out won't help him now - _and it'd be really uncool,_ he thinks, blushing furiously.

Why the hell is so obsessed with his image right about now? That's silly, he should stop doing that. He takes another bite of the ice cream, chewing angrily even though it isn't really needed, letting the icy freshness clear his mind. Even then, one persistent, nagging feeling tugs at his heart. He dares to spare a glance at Cherry - _my girlfriend_ , he thinks, and he swears his heart is trying to beat out of his chest. Cherry meets her gaze and winks at him, and Aquilo nearly drops his spoon, ducking his head shyly.

Admittedly, he'd never think that he'd end up with her. Aquilo always thought girls preferred partners who were… less emotionally constipated, but if it's for Cherry, he'll try. _It feels like a dream,_ Aquilo thinks, feeling warmth well up in his chest, smiling hesitantly at Cherry. Cherry’s completely devoured one large scoop by now, and she settles back to let Aquilo finish the rest. Aquilo’s eyes roam over her form, taking in her curly hair that bounces softly as she stretches, her lithe muscles, and her pale, soft-looking cheeks. Aquilo hides his smile by way of stuffing more ice cream in his mouth. The iciness feels like it's starting to freeze his teeth twice over, but he doesn't really care.

Is he allowed to be this happy? Aquilo thinks he finally understands what _euphoria_ means. He feels light and tingly all over, as though he's walking on clouds. If just being next to her is making him feel this way...

The blond’s eyes dart around sneakily, and when he discerns no one’s really watching he reaches out, slipping his hand into Cherry’s that's resting on the table. Cherry’s mouth forms an ‘o’ in surprise, looking at him like he's spontaneously became a unicorn, all awe and wide-eyed amazement. Aquilo hastily lets go, but if the thumping in his chest confirms one thing, it's that he's fucking head over heels for her.

Goddamn it.

Cherry’s blushing too now, looking up at him with a bright shine in those dark eyes, mouth slightly open. “If you don't want to, you don't have to,” she says quietly. “I really liked that, though. If you want to again, I'm down for it.”

Aquilo bites the inside of his cheek. “I'm sorry. I'm working on it.”

“You know you don't have to change it, right?” Cherry shrugs. “Some people are just more private than others, and I know you're one of them. There’s no problem, really, Quilly,” she insists.

Aquilo fidgets nervously. “Am I not… supposed to do... things like that?” He's pretty sure whatever low, low chance of him ‘impressing’ her has been completely scrapped. _Get it together! How long have I known her for?_ Aquilo thinks furiously. He starts listing facts he has about her in his mind, never mind how weird that is and how every single detail he can bring up just makes him appreciate her more for what she is, what she's done for him, how she's tried her absolute best to put up with him throughout the years. 

...to think there was once a period in time where he couldn't stand the sight of her. Now, taking her away from him makes him feel so... lost.

_Yes, that's right. She's serious, isn't she? Cherry won't kid around with something like this._

Her voice is kind and sincere. “You know, Quilly, you don't need to give me roses everyday and all that. I can tell you’re trying, really.”

“Thanks for putting up with me,” Aquilo mumbles. He stares blankly at the ice cream. Oh, it's melting and some white trails down the side of the plate. He really should finish it up. 

“Hey, what? I should be thanking you for the same thing, right?” Cherry sighs. “I'm sorry, I didn't realise how some the stuff I did would make you feel like crap. I really didn't mean to.”

“Yeah well, you're good at that,” Aquilo grumbles, pointing the spoon at her like it's a blade. “I mean, wouldn't you want someone more… agreeable?” He can't quite keep the sour look off his face. He stuffs the rest of the ice cream in his mouth and leans back against his seat.

Cherry laughs at that, and Aquilo scowls at her. “Damn right I would!” she snickers, but stops when she sees the legitimate hurt in his eyes. “I...uh, I mean -”

Aquilo hastily wipes at his eyes. “No, no, it's okay,” he says, sighing heavily. “I know how I am. I'll… try. Anyway, I don't expect you to put up with my shit. Let me know if I'm being dumb.” His heart won't calm down, and Aquilo actually feels himself sweat despite the coolness of his surroundings. He tries to discreetly press a hand against his chest to calm himself down. 

Aquilo can't quite shake the feeling that Cherry will laugh at him. When did he get this insecure? He really likes her, he wants to show her what she means to him, but maybe he came off a little too strong? Is he trying too hard? Seeing the adoration in her gaze, though, Aquilo feels himself relax. He can't help being drawn to this brilliant sunshine.

“Thank you, Quilly… Aquilo,” Cherry says gently. Cautiously, she tries to draw Aquilo’s hand into hers again, and this time, he lets her. “I mean, don't force yourself, you hear? I'm happy you'd do that for me though.” She meets his gaze again, her lips twitching. “Hey, we’ll work it out, so don't worry. Right now I'm just really happy!”

Aquilo’s half tempted to say ‘That makes one of us’, but no, he told himself he'd cut that out. “Me too,” he says instead, and he swallows harshly. His face feels like it's going to melt off, but as the black-haired girl smiles gently, so unlike her usual energy but beautiful all the same, Aquilo decides he's never going to let her go.

.

Ferris pulls away from the giant window overlooking the café, looking pleased with himself for his new discovery. He looks behind him at his chattering teammates (and some of the cheerleaders). “Guys, shut up a moment, I'm trying to eavesdrop. I think our captain and Cherry are on a date!”

“Oh my god, let me see!” Lynette pushes Ferris out of the way eagerly. “No way, he's actually smiling for once!”

Leonard coughs. “Guys, uh, I think we should leave them alone. This is a serious invasion of their privacy.”

“No way,” Jackson says, strolling along beside his senior. He smirks. “Hey, if we get a good picture and post it online, think we’ll gain more publicity for our teams?”

“Good idea!” One of the cheerleaders pulls out his camera and starts snapping pictures eagerly. “I'm going to text this to Cherry!”

“Guys? Guys! They’re on a freaking date! Stop bothering them!” April protests.

Lynette pauses. “Okay, true,” she says, whipping her gaze over to Xu Xing, who's shaking her head softly. “Maybe we should leave them,” she says sheepishly.

The cheerleader shrugs. “I sent the pics already, anyway. Let me see what happens.” 

Not even seconds later the door to the café is opened akin to the way it would in a horror movie. A crazed blue eye peers out. “Why can't you oblivious fuckers,” Aquilo says darkly, ominously, “get a clue and mind your own damn business?” His fingers that are still on the edge of the door are visibly twitching, and everyone feels a sense of dread pierce through their being. 

Jackson shrugs. “Well, I had nothing to do with this. Ciao, sir.” He spins around and stalks off to some random other exhibit, leaving everyone else spluttering indignantly.

“ _Well?_ ” Aquilo’s voice is positively icy, and everyone shivers in fear as they realise they finally went a _tiny_ bit too far.

“I… tried to stop them?”

“I didn't do anything! I just got here!”

“My stomach suddenly hurts, gotta go!”

Aquilo cracks his knuckles, smiling dangerously with a maniacal glint in his eyes. “Well then, we’ll have a nice long _talk_ back at the hotel, right?”

That night, everyone received a nice, long lesson on relearning personal boundaries.


	4. Aquilo's a Mess

“Hey, hey, here!”

“What the? Watch it, that's my remote!”

“It works, doesn't it?”

“I just lifted your 5000-ton weight up into the storage compartment! Something you should have done yourself, may I add! I'd love at least a little respect here!”

“Ah, so that's how it is,” Cherry teases, grinning and nodding. “Lets watch a movie or something, Quilly!” Cherry’s voice is a little loud, making a few passengers cast their gazes across at her - at _them_. The blond, alarmed, shrinks back in his seat. He turns to face the window and the darkness outside, hoping that they weren't recognised by the other passengers. At the least none of his schoolmates have anything meaningful to say. They've all been avoiding the crap out of him when he's with Cherry ever since that _talk_.

“Cherry…” Aquilo glares meaningfully at her.

She doesn't seem to notice. “What movie would you like to watch?” Cherry asks, looking up at him with those big dark eyes of hers.

_What I would like?_ Aquilo, oddly enough, feels flustered. This is stupid, it's dumb, but he feels really flattered that Cherry asked. Cherry _asked_ him for once. 

“Check what's playing,” Aquilo mutters, pulling the grey hood of his jacket up because OH for fuck’s sake he cannot have Cherry noticing his mini blush combination meltdown and trainwreck again. Even this little detail tells Aquilo something, that something's definitely changed between them. _We are... an actual couple now. Oh my god isn't this practically a movie date? A date?!_ He bites his lip, even as his body betrays him again and he quivers in excitement.

Sure, they're in a plane, and the tiny monitor on the back of the seats can hardly compare to the big screen, but he figures the sentiment still holds. 

She looks over at him, lips pursed. Cherry then flicks through the myriad of choices so rapidly all of the movie posters blur together in Aquilo’s mind. “Cherry, this flight is approximately ten hours long, so you don't need to hurry.”

_Besides, I'm going to sleep._ Aquilo yawns, stretching. He hates these cramped seats. Luckily they're at the back of the cabin, on the aisle on the left. His teammates won't be bothering them, and - Aquilo’s face burns brighter at the sheer _audacity_ of his thoughts - should they do… anything… there'd be no one noticing. Aquilo’s pretty sure that the plane’s _had_ to have taken off already. There's no way his heart is pounding so fast in response to imagining… sappy stuff.

“Aw, shut up, you,” Cherry chirps. She's apparently just so _Cherry_ that jet lag scrambles to avoid her. Her eyes are bright as ever, not a trace of lethargy to be found. Aquilo wonders if she'd be up to doing anything else apart from watching dumb shit, then he realises just _what_ his lewd, lewd mind is suggesting.

_You know what? I'll just… fantasise for a bit._ Blue eyes pretend to stare at the tiny little monitor, ever-so-often flicking towards Cherry guiltily. _Oh my god, please don't develop mind reading powers._ Please.

“AHA!” Cherry cheers, and Aquilo all but jumps, mentally sending out apology after apology until he feels Cherry jamming one earpiece clumsily against his cheek. “Sorry, take that,” she says.

“Hey now, what happened to letting me choose?” Aquilo asks, although he's secretly relieved since he hasn't exactly been paying attention anyway. He's very proud that his voice doesn't crack. Cherry can never know.

Cherry startles. “I, I, oh… right. Do… do you wanna?” Her voice comes out small, and she fidgets with her hands awkwardly in her lap. It hits Aquilo this is new to both of them, not just him. He resists the urge to lean over and hug her, but in reality he's comforted knowing that despite any prior experience, even Cherry is feeling a little nervous, a little jumbled up.

“No, go ahead,” Aquilo answers, motioning to the screen. “Looks fine to me.” Honestly, he's performing way much more up to standard than he's expecting. So far he hasn’t yet dissolved into a bubbling mess of goo. At least on the outside, because his brain is just replaying inane mutterings over and over again. _She asked me, she asked me! Me! Cherry’s trying, she's so good, she's such a good! A good!_

Fuck it, he's going to call it a day and say that keeping it together on the outside, despite his terrible thoughts, is even more admirable than if his brain wasn't fucking _melting_. Just for good measure, he crosses his arms. Maybe if he acts confident he’ll start to feel that way.

Aquilo’s vaguely aware that Cherry has pressed play and he leans forward a little bit in anticipation. Good lord, anything to take away from what an absolute distraction his… girlfriend is. Should he even be thinking about her in that way yet? They haven't even kissed as an official couple yet! He eyeballs her from the side, and she seems too engrossed in the movie to notice, watching with an air of excitement around her, occasionally giggling at a throwaway line. _And that's what you should be doing too!_ Aquilo scolds himself. _Not… thinking about feeling her up or whatever, you creep!_

He's probably as much as a pervert as he frequently accuses his friends of being. As jokes, but still, isn't that technically worse of him? Aquilo sighs, but it luckily is well-timed enough that Cherry mistakes it as a gasp of surprise just as the sounds of swords clashing screech through the earpiece. 

She flinches in her seat. “Yeah… I-I should probably turn it down.”

“S-sure…” Aquilo turns his face away, blushing. 

A long silence stretches out between them. God, when did they get so awkward? Nevermind, Aquilo wants the annoying Cherry back.

Okay. Maybe in a few minutes. He needs to sort out his feelings about before dealing with hers. So for now Aquilo will gladly allow her to continue watching the action murder mystery thriller comedy she's watching, or whatever.

Of course, since the airport hates him - or more like actually has a schedule to follow but Aquilo’s not feeling particularly reasonable right now - after five minutes the video is paused and the pilot announces that they are preparing for takeoff. Cherry tugs the plug out of the side of the monitor, looking towards Aquilo apprehensively.

_Say something!_ He coughs. “Your… your seatbelt, Cherry. Is… it?” _Real smooth, you dumbass!_

“Yep,” Cherry says, giving him a thumbs up. “Always been ready!” She giggles nervously.

“I… am glad… to see that.” Aquilo stares at his hands that he has folded neatly across his lap. The red in his cheeks are for an entirely different reason now.

“...do you have any sarcastic one-liners that I can respond to? You know, to annoy you to dispel this… whatever this is.” Cherry makes some vague hand gesture at the both of them. “Or are we out of luck? Okay, I started it, so it's my fault, but… uh...”

“Wouldn't want you falling out of the plane,” Aquilo attempts with a weak chuckle, leaning back against the cushioned seat to try to relax.

“Only after you.” 

“Oh my god, you're lame.” Aquilo groans and tilts his head skywards.

“Says the one without any sense of humor!” Cherry protests.

“I do have a sense of humor.” Aquilo smirks. “You just don't meet my minimum-grade standards.”

“Why, you -”

“Excuse me,” a flight attendant says pleasantly, gesturing to Cherry’s feet. “Please put the footrests back.”

“Oh, right.” Cherry just kicks it back up. Aquilo looks at the attendant apologetically. They smile and leave. A warm, small hand slipping into Aquilo’s sends him into a near heart attack. “This is the part where it's like a rollercoaster,” Cherry says, eyes twinkling. “Hold on to me, okay?”

Aquilo wiggles his fingers a bit, feeling the smooth skin of Cherry’s fingers, the warmth of her palms. “We won't be upside down, you idiot. I doubt flying in loops are legal.”

“Oh hush, I know you're nervous,” Cherry says, just as the plane begins to move down the runway. Some of his schoolmates squeal excitedly. It’s the cheerleaders, so Aquilo doesn't really know who they are, but he has half a mind to tell them to shut up. It's really not his business though, and his traitorous mind wanders back to just _what_ he was thinking about Cherry.

When Aquilo gets home, he’s burning his entire collection of romance novels in a bonfire.

The lights inside the plane finally shut off, and Aquilo looks outside once again. It's one last final look at the airport, the building and runways gently illuminated against the night. Right, it's finally dark inside as well, so maybe he can… sneak in a kiss without anyone noticing. Or maybe... even more? Aquilo’s just grateful for the darkness that shrouds his features.

He's so distracted that he doesn't even realise when the plane takes off until his stomach flips and Cherry grabs at his arm. He freezes when the curly-haired girl leans her cheek against his shoulder. Aquilo hardly dares to breathe, his hands trembling. He grasps at the armrest to his left as though it's a lifeline. He feels hot and feverish all over, and luckily he's sitting down right now or he really would have fallen over. His nerves are a tangled mess in his stomach, and Aquilo has no clue whether he wants to hurl or to spontaneously burst into song.

_I'm so weak, goddamn it,_ Aquilo scolds himself, though he simply can't fight the exhilaration rushing through his veins at the close contact, and her warmth. _It's just so -_

The plane stabilises and Cherry pulls away. Aquilo resists trying to keep her close for the sake of whatever shattered pride he has left. “Do I look like the armrests to you?” Aquilo asks drily, anything to keep her from observing his tenseness _too_ closely.

Cherry hums to show her approval. “Yes, but…” She grins mischievously, and Aquilo’s eyes widen in horror. “...cuddlier!” Aquilo lets out an indignant yelp as he's suddenly smothered by her entire body, Cherry’s sweet scent invading all of his senses.

“Stop it, this is embarrassing!” Aquilo protests, pushing her away, albeit reluctantly, heart pounding.

Cherry finally shuts up for a while. Her eyes flit around the rest of the plane. Aquilo follows her gaze, finding that everyone’s much more interested in sleeping or watching movies. Cherry leans back in and whispers, “No one’s going to see anything, Quilly.” Cherry turns the TV off - oh yeah, he completely forgot about that - and turns to him, an invitation in her gaze. “Do… do you… want? I, I mean - um…” Cherry stutters, and in the dim light Aquilo can see she's blushing as well.

Aquilo doesn't know what it is, but his mind’s chanting _yes, yes, yes,_ as Cherry tugs on his arms to beckon him closer. Maybe if it's Cherry, he’ll gladly shatter the rest of his pride himself - if it means being close to her again.

Against all higher brain functions, Aquilo’s eyes sneakily dart around once again, and then he's pressing his lips to hers. It's brief and chaste and Aquilo pulls away before he can really get his fill. She… she tastes just as good as before. His mind’s all jumbled up and he feels so giddy, so high.

“Hey, too soon!” Aquilo hears Cherry whine in protest. It's absolutely adorable, the way she's pouting at him, but his fears are confirmed when the same flight attendant returns pushing a tray. Their eyes twinkle like they know something they both don't, holding out a pair of prongs with neatly rolled up white fabric caught between them. “Would you like a hot towel?”

Aquilo just nods, too dumbstruck to speak, and seconds later he finds one in his hands. He stares at it dumbly. It's warm, but probably not as warm as he is. He feels strange - hot and tingly all over. Slowly, he cleans his face with it, relishing having some of his brain cells back.

“We shouldn't. Not here,” Aquilo says softly, his voice filled with odd regret.

“Huh? Aw, come on, you big baby.” 

“We can't just… just start _making out_ here!” _...but god, why do I want to?_ Aquilo glares at the black-haired girl. How dare she do this to him. “It's getting late, so get your fucking ass to sleep or you'll fucking die tomorrow,” Aquilo snaps, turning away from her. “It won't be my fault if you collapse on the conveyer belt or something!”

“Of course, princess,” Cherry teases, though she backs off as requested and simply rests her head on his shoulder.

Aquilo jumps and nearly hits her. “W-what are you doing?”

Cherry shrugs from her position. “I'm going to sleep, as you said.” Finally, she yawns. “Good night, Quilly.” Her words trail off slowly towards the end. Aquilo forces himself to breathe, that's right, _inhale, exhale_. Luckily Cherry is a deep sleeper, so the sound of his heart pounding way too fast to be healthy probably doesn't bother her at all. The blond makes a point of staring at his own hands, not at her, oh god she's so close and… he likes it, he wants this to happen more often. 

At this rate he’ll never get to sleep.

Still, Aquilo lets himself relax, smiling softly down at the dozing cheerleader. Some dim light falls across her face. She looks peaceful, beautiful like this. It really isn't that bad when she decides to shut up, Aquilo decides. Hesitantly, he drags his fingers through Cherry’s thick black curls. The cold weather hasn't done it any good. It's far too frizzy, a bit too coarse, but Aquilo doesn't really mind. He curls one lock of her hair around his finger, before realising what he's doing and letting go, scratching nervously at his own clothing.

He sighs, leaning his head on top of hers. His heart’s finally slowed to a somewhat more reasonable tempo. Aquilo’s not sure why it's so hard. They've been friends for so long, it's not the first time he's had to share a seat with her. Maybe if he just closes his eyes, it'll be fine and it'll all go over well enough till the next morning… or whatever time it is back in his place. Aquilo will probably miss Brazil, kind of, sort of. He's never really been the travelling type, but he's still really glad to go home.

_It's been exhausting,_ Aquilo thinks, sneaking one last look at his girlfriend before falling into a light slumber.

.

It's very early morning when the teens stumble into their familiar airport, bleary eyes blinking away the tiredness. Aquilo is infinitely grateful for the fact that he woke up before anyone else before they could see him in such an embarrassing position. His pale cheeks flush red even thinking about it now. _I can't believe I actually fell asleep like that, what the fuck?_ A smaller, deeper part of him is afraid to say that he enjoys it.

Cherry waits for him patiently as Aquilo exits through the metal gate. He glares at her. “Wipe that goddamn smile off your face. It's way too early for your bullshit.”

“You slept for ten hours, Aquilo,” Cherry chirps, turning to lead the way to the rest of their group.

“Yeah, what can I say? I'm just really connected to my homeland.” Aquilo falls into step next to her. “I swear, the entire time in Rio de Janeiro I was always a few hours off.”

“Good for you!” Cherry says, and Aquilo can hear the adorable - _annoying_ \- bubbliness in her voice. Pointedly ignoring her, he whips his phone out, happy he can finally get a signal. Ahh. Internet.

Smooth Flying’s chat group has been spammed with 1429 messages. Aquilo lets out a testy ‘tsk’ and simply scrolls all the way to the bottom.

**Zebra:** Hey Iggy Aquilo and Cherry return today right?  
**Ichi:** Yep. Its in the early ams though. Around 3-4 I think they said :,(  
**Falala:** nyaaa I've set out the popcorn and streams!!  
**Takkun:** ...that's…………….  
**Falala:** I'm gonna stay up all night  >:3 I've been lying in wait since midnight!!!

Aquilo’s heart warms. “They waited for us,” he murmurs to Cherry, even though he curses them out in his mind for neglecting their sleep. Some things were more important, damn it!

**Aquilo:** Hahaha gaycis if you're so in love with sleep deprivation go do your revision cause I sure as hell don't want you to end up living on the streets  
**Ichi:** oH HI  
**Falala:** AQUILOOOOOOO :DDDddDdD  
**Ichi:** Aquilo is public transport even available right now???  
**Takkun:** Hi, where's Cherry? :)  
**Zebra:** Ah Aquilo welcome back. Say hi to Cherry for me, I gotta go to bed now. It's almost 3am omg I have trackbyeeee  
**Falala:** ByeeeEeeeEEEEEeeE

Aquilo smiles at his friends’ greetings as Cherry looks over at his phone curiously.

**Aquilo:** We just landed back at home. The school bus is gonna send us back. God I have to give the driver a tip. Poor guy  
**Ichi:** wait, so where IS Cherry?  
**Aquilo:** Her phone’s dead. Damn idiot used it too much and forgot to bring a portable charger.

Aquilo pauses as a glint of mischief appears in his eyes. “Hey, want to freak them out?” he asks the black-haired girl beside him.

“We’ll start with them first, and then traumatise the rest of the world,” Cherry snickers.

“So I take it you don't mind if I tell everyone?” Aquilo asks, suddenly unsure. He knows it's still a bit too early, and some first dates just might not work out, but when he looks at Cherry he stubbornly forces that thought away.

“They’re our friends, Quilly. It'll be fine.” Cherry’s smile is so, so reassuring. Suddenly flustered, he continues texting, looking downwards to hide his blush.

**Aquilo:** Oh  
**Aquilo:** also we’re dating now lmao

As predicted, the chatroom dissolves into chaos.

**Falala:** wait am I actually asleep  
**Ichi:** wait wtf  
**Falala:** OIMG HIS IS FUCKING GREST  
**Takkun:** Congratulations ^^  
**Ichi:** Taro wtf how can you be so calm about this?????  
**Aquilo:** Oh will you look at that my phone’s dying too bye guys

Aquilo smirks as he locks his phone, chuckling at the agitated messages his friends continue to leave. His phone isn't actually anywhere near dead, but just for once he relishes swapping roles with Cherry.

**Falala:** Wait you can't leave nooooo tell me shititttt  
**Takkun:** Aquillooooooooo  
**Zebra:** Iggy I love you and all but I'm trying to sleep please stop calling me. Basil says the same thing.  
**Ichi:** I AM GOING TO KILL CHERRY OR SO HELP ME  
**Falala:** This is better than that dumb show I was watching ololol

Cherry laughs. “Dude, you're diabolical.”

“You enable me.” Aquilo’s grin grows wider. “Get ready for Iggy, Cherry. He's a little…” Aquilo feels so smug at the horrified look as Cherry reads just _what_ sweet, sweet Iggy is saying. It may not be direct, but it's revenge nonetheless, and he's way too happy at watching her take her turn to squirm.

“...protective.” Satisfaction tastes sweet on the tip of his tongue.


End file.
